A Million Lights
- All
- News
- Videos
-
69-Million-Year-Old Fossil Bird Skull in Antarctica Sheds Light on Waterfowl Evolution
Scientists have analysed a nearly complete fossilised bird skull found in Antarctica, dating back 69 million years. Identified as Vegavis iaai, the specimen is closely related to modern ducks and geese, with skull features supporting its classification as a waterfowl. Researchers suggest that its advanced vision and motor skills could have helped i...
-
Hubble Spots Distant Supernova in Gemini, Enhancing Cosmic Distance Studies
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of SN 2022aajn, a Type Ia supernova in the constellation Gemini. Located 600 million light-years away, the explosion was first detected in November 2022. Type Ia supernovae serve as essential cosmic distance markers due to their predictable brightness. Hubble’s observations, part o...
-
SPHEREx Space Telescope to Map Cosmos in Infrared Light, Launching in February 2025
Set to launch in February 2025, NASA’s SPHEREx mission will provide a comprehensive map of the universe in infrared light. The telescope will examine 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars, shedding light on the universe’s formation, early conditions after the Big Bang, and the presence of water in planetary systems. SPHEREx will survey the...
-
NASA SPHEREx Telescope to Map the Universe and Search for Life’s Ingredients
NASA’s SPHEREx mission, set to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 27, aims to explore the origins of the universe and the formation of galaxies. Using near-infrared light, the telescope will study over 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars in the Milky Way. It will also search for water and organic molecules in regions where ...
-
Astronomers Capture Supermassive Black Hole Plasma Jets at Birth
For the first time, plasma jets from a supermassive black hole have been observed in real time. Located 270 million light-years away in galaxy 1ES 1927+654, the jets traveled at one-third the speed of light. Emerging in 2024 after a radio flare in 2023, the jets broke through dense gas near the black hole, which has a mass 1.4 billion times that of...
-
Rare Pterosaur Neck Bone Discovery Shows Crocodilian Bite From 76 Million Years Ago
A fossilised neck bone from a juvenile Cryodrakon boreas has been unearthed in Alberta, showing evidence of a crocodilian bite. The discovery highlights predator-prey dynamics from 76 million years ago, where ancient crocodilians preyed on or scavenged young pterosaurs. This specimen, identified through micro-CT scans, provides rare evidence of int...
-
Hubble’s Detailed Andromeda Galaxy Mosaic Sheds Light on Its Past and Evolution
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has produced a massive photomosaic of the Andromeda galaxy, revealing more than 200 million stars. The study offers fresh insights into Andromeda’s evolutionary history, which includes mergers with smaller galaxies. This breakthrough provides a clearer picture of the galaxy's structure and the processes that shaped...
-
Astronomers Discover Unusual X-Ray Oscillations From a Black Hole 100 Million Light-Years Away
A supermassive black hole 100 million light-years away is showing an unprecedented increase in X-ray oscillations, starting from 18-minute intervals and accelerating to 7 minutes in just two years. Astronomers believe a white dwarf, orbiting perilously close to the event horizon, is causing these flashes. The findings offer a glimpse into black hol...
-
AI Enhances Northern Lights Classification and Geomagnetic Storm Forecasting
A breakthrough in auroral research, powered by artificial intelligence, has allowed scientists to classify over 700 million auroral images. This effort, using NASA's THEMIS dataset, will significantly enhance the prediction of geomagnetic storms, which can disrupt Earth's communication and security systems. Led by the University of New Hampshire, t...
-
Research Reveals New Details About NGC 5018 Galaxy’s Clusters
A recent study of the NGC 5018 galaxy group, located about 132.5 million light years away in the Virgo constellation, provides new insights into its globular cluster (GC) system. Researchers analysed deep imaging data from the VLT Survey Telescope, revealing thousands of GC candidates, with a significant concentration around NGC 5018 itself. The st...
-
Top 5 Black Hole Discoveries of 2024: Plasma Jet, Intermediate Black Hole, and More
Scientists have unveiled extraordinary discoveries about black holes, offering new insights into their evolution and impact on the universe. Among these findings is the potential detection of an intermediate black hole near Sagittarius A*, bridging the gap between stellar-mass and supermassive black holes. The James Webb Space Telescope observed a ...
-
A World-First Discovery - Twin Stars Trapped Orbiting Galactic Black Hole
At the centre of the Milky Way is a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A*. It is roughly 27,000 light years from Earth and 23.5 million kilometres in diameter.
-
World Health Organization Gives First Approval Of Tuberculosis Test
The World Health Organization announced Thursday it had given a first-ever green light to a test for tuberculosis -- a disease which killed 1.25 million people last year.
-
James Webb Telescope Discovers Star Formation Regions in Sombrero Galaxy
A new image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has provided a fresh perspective on the Sombrero Galaxy (M104), located 30 million light-years away in the Virgo constellation. Captured in mid-infrared wavelengths by JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), this detailed view reveals star-forming clumps in the galaxy’s outer dust rings...
-
Hubble Space Telescope Captures Rare Edge-On View of a Spiral Galaxy Located Millions of Light-Years Away
NASA and ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured an edge-on view of spiral galaxy UGC 10043, located around 150 million light-years away. Displaying its prominent dust lanes and unique bulge, this galaxy image highlights regions of active star formation. Captured in 2000 and 2023, the composite image uses various light wavelengths to detail the str...
-
69-Million-Year-Old Fossil Bird Skull in Antarctica Sheds Light on Waterfowl Evolution
Scientists have analysed a nearly complete fossilised bird skull found in Antarctica, dating back 69 million years. Identified as Vegavis iaai, the specimen is closely related to modern ducks and geese, with skull features supporting its classification as a waterfowl. Researchers suggest that its advanced vision and motor skills could have helped i...
-
Hubble Spots Distant Supernova in Gemini, Enhancing Cosmic Distance Studies
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of SN 2022aajn, a Type Ia supernova in the constellation Gemini. Located 600 million light-years away, the explosion was first detected in November 2022. Type Ia supernovae serve as essential cosmic distance markers due to their predictable brightness. Hubble’s observations, part o...
-
SPHEREx Space Telescope to Map Cosmos in Infrared Light, Launching in February 2025
Set to launch in February 2025, NASA’s SPHEREx mission will provide a comprehensive map of the universe in infrared light. The telescope will examine 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars, shedding light on the universe’s formation, early conditions after the Big Bang, and the presence of water in planetary systems. SPHEREx will survey the...
-
NASA SPHEREx Telescope to Map the Universe and Search for Life’s Ingredients
NASA’s SPHEREx mission, set to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 27, aims to explore the origins of the universe and the formation of galaxies. Using near-infrared light, the telescope will study over 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars in the Milky Way. It will also search for water and organic molecules in regions where ...
-
Astronomers Capture Supermassive Black Hole Plasma Jets at Birth
For the first time, plasma jets from a supermassive black hole have been observed in real time. Located 270 million light-years away in galaxy 1ES 1927+654, the jets traveled at one-third the speed of light. Emerging in 2024 after a radio flare in 2023, the jets broke through dense gas near the black hole, which has a mass 1.4 billion times that of...
-
Rare Pterosaur Neck Bone Discovery Shows Crocodilian Bite From 76 Million Years Ago
A fossilised neck bone from a juvenile Cryodrakon boreas has been unearthed in Alberta, showing evidence of a crocodilian bite. The discovery highlights predator-prey dynamics from 76 million years ago, where ancient crocodilians preyed on or scavenged young pterosaurs. This specimen, identified through micro-CT scans, provides rare evidence of int...
-
Hubble’s Detailed Andromeda Galaxy Mosaic Sheds Light on Its Past and Evolution
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has produced a massive photomosaic of the Andromeda galaxy, revealing more than 200 million stars. The study offers fresh insights into Andromeda’s evolutionary history, which includes mergers with smaller galaxies. This breakthrough provides a clearer picture of the galaxy's structure and the processes that shaped...
-
Astronomers Discover Unusual X-Ray Oscillations From a Black Hole 100 Million Light-Years Away
A supermassive black hole 100 million light-years away is showing an unprecedented increase in X-ray oscillations, starting from 18-minute intervals and accelerating to 7 minutes in just two years. Astronomers believe a white dwarf, orbiting perilously close to the event horizon, is causing these flashes. The findings offer a glimpse into black hol...
-
AI Enhances Northern Lights Classification and Geomagnetic Storm Forecasting
A breakthrough in auroral research, powered by artificial intelligence, has allowed scientists to classify over 700 million auroral images. This effort, using NASA's THEMIS dataset, will significantly enhance the prediction of geomagnetic storms, which can disrupt Earth's communication and security systems. Led by the University of New Hampshire, t...
-
Research Reveals New Details About NGC 5018 Galaxy’s Clusters
A recent study of the NGC 5018 galaxy group, located about 132.5 million light years away in the Virgo constellation, provides new insights into its globular cluster (GC) system. Researchers analysed deep imaging data from the VLT Survey Telescope, revealing thousands of GC candidates, with a significant concentration around NGC 5018 itself. The st...
-
Top 5 Black Hole Discoveries of 2024: Plasma Jet, Intermediate Black Hole, and More
Scientists have unveiled extraordinary discoveries about black holes, offering new insights into their evolution and impact on the universe. Among these findings is the potential detection of an intermediate black hole near Sagittarius A*, bridging the gap between stellar-mass and supermassive black holes. The James Webb Space Telescope observed a ...
-
A World-First Discovery - Twin Stars Trapped Orbiting Galactic Black Hole
At the centre of the Milky Way is a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A*. It is roughly 27,000 light years from Earth and 23.5 million kilometres in diameter.
-
World Health Organization Gives First Approval Of Tuberculosis Test
The World Health Organization announced Thursday it had given a first-ever green light to a test for tuberculosis -- a disease which killed 1.25 million people last year.
-
James Webb Telescope Discovers Star Formation Regions in Sombrero Galaxy
A new image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has provided a fresh perspective on the Sombrero Galaxy (M104), located 30 million light-years away in the Virgo constellation. Captured in mid-infrared wavelengths by JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), this detailed view reveals star-forming clumps in the galaxy’s outer dust rings...
-
Hubble Space Telescope Captures Rare Edge-On View of a Spiral Galaxy Located Millions of Light-Years Away
NASA and ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured an edge-on view of spiral galaxy UGC 10043, located around 150 million light-years away. Displaying its prominent dust lanes and unique bulge, this galaxy image highlights regions of active star formation. Captured in 2000 and 2023, the composite image uses various light wavelengths to detail the str...
